On the Devil's Bed
by charlottestark
Summary: Re-post: Charlie is a Son, and a woman. The first of her kind. As the daughter of Piney Winston and the baby sister of Opie, she was always destined for club life. But when a series of devastating losses leaves her questioning everything, there's only one person she can turn to. And that's Jax Teller. OC / Jax
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except for Charlie and her plot-line.

Enjoy, fam!

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><p>Jackson Teller was on his knees in front of Charlie, his mouth slowly working its way to her groin. He occasionally stopped his kissing to smile against her thigh, a small gesture that Charlie could feel in her heart. He was just as overjoyed as she was. This was hot, and unexpected. Charlie wasn't even sure how they'd gotten into this situation, but she had eagerly accepted it.<p>

His rough hands moved along her thighs, his thumbs massaging circles along the way. Charlie's hips flexed upwards in a desperate plea for contact at her most intimate spot. Jax granted her wish by swiftly brushing his rough knuckles along her slit, earning himself an annoyed groan from the woman before him. He'd been at this teasing thing for several minutes too long now, and Charlie was ready for more.

Jax smirked up at her through impossibly long lashes, his eyes a deep, darkening blue. Charlie groaned again, loudly, before tugging impatiently on the blond hair tangled in her fingers. His mouth opened in a silent, pained roar before she loosened her hold. She grinned cheekily, until he began an all-out assault on her clit that wiped the smirk right off her face.

Charlie raised herself to her elbows, trying to gain a view of the wicked magic his lips were playing on her clit. Jax pulled back a few inches to ghost his callused thumb over the spot, before moving slow circles around it. The pressure was too much, and not enough at the same time. Charlie writhed desperately under his grasp, forcing him to place a palm on her belly to keep her still.

Jax stopped his torture and licked his lips, a look of pure bliss on his face.

"God, Charlie. You taste so good."

Charlie was flushed, too hot for her own skin, and clawing at the sheets beneath her. Her long, blonde hair fell over her shoulders and onto her breasts, the humidity of the room forcing it to curl somewhat. She slid down from her elbows to her back, and let out a desperate moan for more.

Jax answered her plea by replacing his tongue and expertly placing a finger inside her. It glided in and out easily with just how wet she was - with how wet he'd made her. Charlie cried out, loudly, when he added another finger to the mix. The frantic movement of his fingers in combination with his tongue sent her over the edge near immediately.

The pressure in her stomach coiled in a final, tight pinch before exploding entirely, wringing her insides again and again. Charlie shuddered violently against the soft sheets. Her panting had barely subsided before Jax began kissing his way up her body. He hadn't yet removed his fingers from her, allowing her to ride it out for longer. Her skin was on fire, the world was null and void.

Jax landed with his hands on either side of Charlie's head, hovering above her on strong arms. He kissed her passionately, her taste still lingering on his tongue. She smiled into the kiss, giggling at his eagerness. He pulled back and stared deeply into her eyes, silently asking for permission to continue. Nodding, Charlie smiled and slipped her hand between them. Jax was both soft and hard, like wood wrapped in velvet. Her smile only grew at his loud, strained reaction to her touch.

She slightly tightened her grip on him while moving her legs to his hips. A callused hand found the back of her knee and hitched it higher, opening her up to him even further. With ease, Charlie slid Jax's impressive length into her sensitive sex, forcing a moan from both of them.

Jax began to move above her, slowly at first to allow Charlie to adjust to his intrusion. After a moment, his thrusts became more sporadic until Charlie's moans weren't containable anymore. She countered his movements with perfect symmetry, meeting him thrust-for-thrust in the middle.

A muffled, but loud thud across the house distracted Charlie from his rough movements. Heavy footsteps stormed down the hallway to her room, something Jax ignored in his concentration. Charlie frantically pounded on his chest, trying to alert him of something he clearly hadn't heard. When he wouldn't budge, Charlie shifted her thigh to flip them over. She moved quickly, sliding off of Jax just in time to see her bedroom door fly open.

The dream ended as abruptly as it had arrived. Charlie shot upright in her bed, gasping for breath and covered in sweat. She nearly let out a "phew, it was only a dream" before she heard the familiar sound of heavy boots storming through her house.

Charlie shot off the bed, but froze, unsure of exactly where to go from there. The door flew open, rebounding off the wall behind it with impressive force. Hulking men stormed into her room, all wielding guns except one, who held a black strip of fabric and silver handcuffs. Their intention was clear.

"Are you Charlotte Winston?"

Charlie did the most disrespectful thing she could think of; she sucked in her cheeks, and spat directly at his face.

"Fuck you."

The man approached her slowly, her spit still dripping on his face. He leaned forward and grabbed the edge of her t-shirt, pulling it up and using it to wipe off his face. The action left her entirely exposed to the other men of the room, who leered at her naked body. The man allowed his friends a moment to stare, before relinquishing her shirt from his grasp and letting it fall back over her thighs. He smirked at her before regarding the others.

"Grab her."

Charlie unfroze from her spot and moved to the bedside table, silently praying a gun would be there. A pair of hands latched onto her hair and neck and sent her backwards, until her back slammed into the chest of another. Charlie watched helplessly as an meaty fist came towards her face. It nailed her cheek hard and instantly blackened her vision. A pained shout left her lips.

She continued struggling against the man behind her, who had thrown one forearm around her neck and another around her waist. The soft, black fabric slipped over Charlie's eyes easily, even as she threw her head back and forth to avoid it. It tightened harshly around her head, virtually ending any struggle she could put forward. The cuffs clicked into place a moment later, pinching the sensitive skin on her wrists.

A voice from her left spoke with short words and authority.

"You, grab the legs. Let's go."

Charlie felt a pair of hands firmly grab at her ankles, before sliding up and hooking his elbows at her knees. A greasy hand lingered a little high on her thigh, roughly groping the sensitive skin there. The position left her powerless to stop him, although she continued struggling with hope.

They carried her through the house, and soon, through the front door. The cool night air hit Charlie's naked skin sharply, forcing a gasp from her lips and a shiver down her spine. She heard several quick fingers snap before a car door opened in front of the group.

They unceremoniously tossed her into the backseat, before immediately slamming the door behind her.

The car lurched forward, thus commencing Charlie's violent abduction.

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><p>Attention grabbing, huh? Please review!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer : I don't own anything, except for Charlie and her plot.

Author's note : My profile has pictures of what I consider Charlie to look like, her house, and her bike.

Enjoy!

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><p>Prologue:<p>

Charlie felt the piercing scream leave her lips and let it continue, until her throat cracked from overuse and she ran out of breath. They'd cuffed her wrists together in the front, allowing her to pound them against the plexiglass wall with as much strength as she could muster. Her shoulders ached with tension and her body wracked with uncontrollable sobs. She let out another enraged scream.

The nightmare continued on.

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><p>The men had come at 2:43 in the morning on a Sunday. They'd broken in, really just kicked in her front door, and attacked her. A hard punch to the right cheekbone left Charlie incapacitated, with blurry vision and little coordination. They slipped a blindfold over her eyes and handcuffs around her wrists, before tossing her into a leather backseat.<p>

The sharp smells of expensive cologne and even more expensive scotch hit her like a wall. There was no doubting that this was orchestrated by the club's current problem, Damon Pope - the most dangerous gangster in Oakland. He was bloodthirsty, after the death of his daughter. Calculating, too. He was a looming threat, and a big one. She could only imagine where this towncar was taking her tonight.

Charlie sat quietly in the backseat, the cool leather sticky against her bare thighs. Even if she could, there weren't many people Charlie could call for help. The remaining Sons had been hauled off for murdering a cop and a Niner, definitely bullshit charges. Paid "witnesses" ensured their incarceration. It was a problem that left Charlie constantly restless. The first night she'd slept in days, and it was cruelly interrupted by hulking men with weapons.

Soon, Charlie found herself alone and cuffed to a dirty pipe on a dirtier tile floor. The room smelled of mildew and stale sweat. They hadn't even allowed her the time to put on some shorts, so the questionably damp tile floor below her was a less-than-pleasant surprise.

Silent time allowed Charlie's bubbling fury to boil over. That, and the urgent need to pee. She shouted at the closed door, poison in her voice.

"You need to understand, there's no going back from this! They will kill you, if I don't!"

When no one responded, she kept shouting.

"Don't you know who my family is?!"

Nothing.

Charlie grumbled to herself, finally understanding that no one was listening.

"You'll find out."

Charlie struggled against the pipe for several minutes, ignoring the pain and the bruises rapidly forming at her wrists. The men returned after only a short time, with more men, heavier boots, and an obnoxiously loud keyring.

A large palm gripped her shoulder and tightened harshly. The owner's gruff voice spoke loudly before her.

"Move."

Charlie was instantly infuriated, for no other reason than his lack of manners. She hissed out a sharp "what do you want" and remained stationary, before receiving a swift kick to the ribs. Charlie instinctively shied away from the pain, a move which caused her to lean forward in compliance. Pain rippled up her spine and radiated through her side.

"There, was that so hard?"

The man cooed, before grabbing her wrist and unlocking a cuff. An involuntary sigh left her lips, the pinching had become unbearable.

The man with the keys stepped aside and another took his place. Charlie was lifted into the air by her armpits and let down on her feet with a sudden jerk. The wrist with the cuff still attached was lifted and the other cuff reattached, tighter than before. Her eyes began to water as she winced at the pinching.

"Walk."

A disembodied voice commanded. A work boot collided with the back of her knee, in case she hadn't heard. Charlie's blinded state made her stumble over the uneven, slippery floor - tiny pieces of broken tile and god-knows-what crunched beneath her feet.

Her anger ratcheted higher with each step, until she couldn't contain it any longer.

"Did you hear me earlier? You will die for this!"

That earned her a slap across the face and a "shut the fuck up" from the man with the keys. It knocked the blindfold off-center, revealing several men in uniform and a dark, seemingly endless hallway. The men were noticeably white now, as opposed to the black men who'd picked her up.

Charlie's better judgment slipped away after receiving a second slap. Getting under people's skin was something that she enjoyed greatly, and given the situation, Charlie felt that a little condescension couldn't hurt.

"Oh well, isn't this romantic? What do you boys have planned fo-"

That earned her another slap, this one accompanied by a bloody lip. She sucked it in-between her teeth, allowing the salty taste to flood her mouth.

"Booo, no fun." Charlie turned to face a guard and smiled broadly for him. By now, blood was coating her teeth and lips. His disgusted cringe made her laugh, so she laughed as obnoxiously as she could.

"Oh come on, have a little fun." Charlie smiled charmingly to the guard on her other side, who blanched significantly at her appearance. He placed a hand at her back and shoved her forward, hard, into a swinging metal door.

Her smile fell when she heard their voices.

"Oh fuck, no, no, no. Get her outta here!"

Tig was the first to notice that she'd entered the room, his voice filled with shock and anger. The imprisoned Sons turned quickly, each looking startled as they took in her appearance. Her left cheek still stung from the repeated hits - she was sure it was nearly purple. Her lip bled, the gushing continued even when she sucked her lip in. Her blonde hair was pulled back, but strands were slipping from the tie and into her face. Charlie wasn't even wearing shorts, which they would read as the repercussions of sexual assault. Her appearance was painting quite the image.

Their's painted quite the picture as well. The men sported blue SJCCF jumpsuits, reaffirming Charlie's suspicions on where she'd been taken. The signs of a recent fight were prominent on their faces. Dried blood marked them, bruises too. Charlie was infuriated at the thought of someone hurting her family.

Another second of tense silence passed before Opie began shouting.

"She ain't got nothing to do with this, man. You get her the hell out of here!" he screamed at the guard before turning to examine Charlie's face, "Are you okay? Did they hurt you? I'll kill 'em, Charlie, I swear."

Opie brought a callused hand to either side of her face and rotated it slowly, allowing him to inspect for injury. He ran a thumb over her lip, causing her to wince.

Charlie swatted his hands away from her face.

"Ow, Jesus. No Ope, I'm fine - what's goin -"

The guard with the keys spoke up, the one who'd hit her so many times and the one who appeared to be in charge. Charlie noted his face, silently vowing never to forget it. His tone was annoyed.

"Am I choosing or you?"

Charlie looked between the two of them frantically.

"What does he mean choose-"

Jax raised a hand to silence her, looking defiant as he moved towards the guard.

Opie quickly slid his fingers into her hair and pulled her forehead to his lips. She furrowed her eyebrows, a question of confusion in her eyes. Opie turned back to the guards as Jax said the words.

"My call."

A simple "no" left Opie's lips before he smashed his head into the nose of the guard wielding the keys. Her brother wasn't even resisting when three guards hauled him off. Charlie tried following, even shouldered a guard out of the way to get to her brother, but was ripped back by her hair. She shouted after Opie, who only yelled an "I love you" at her.

Jax threw a punch at a guard, but it never landed. He was immediately restrained by two others. And suddenly, everyone was shouting and struggling against each other, leaving Charlie standing alone and enraged.

She moved quickly from her spot near the door and towards Jax. Without a second thought, Charlie raised her cuffed hands and brought the chain around a guard's throat - pulling tight until he relinquished his hold on Jax. The guard backed off of Jax, who began fighting his second restraint not a moment later.

Charlie's smaller stature soon gave the guard the upper hand. He slipped from her chokehold and immediately swung for her face. It was a predictable move, so she easily dodged it. Charlie raised her arms above her head, forming two fists as she did, and brought them down on his nose. Her position didn't allow her a lot of force, but the blow got the job done. His nose was clearly broken. She would have hit him again, but she was torn away by her hair and forced against the thick glass. An infuriated guard cracked her head into it once for good measure. Charlie's eyebrow split open, leaking blood down her face.

"Watch this, bitch," he whispered into her ear, before pushing her face into the glass more. She hissed at the pain.

The other guard's broken nose was gushing blood when he said the condemning sentence.

"Throw him in."

"No! No!"

Jax began fighting wildly against one guard, while another struck him with a baton. His strikes met air and nothing else, allowing them to restrain him again. They brought him forward to stand next to her, letting him go on the promise he'd stop fighting. The man holding Charlie against the window backed away, but she kept her perfect view of the room before them.

"Jax.. Jax! What's happening - what are they doing? Ope, what did you do?! Ope!" She continued screaming as the horror of her reality set in. She began pounding her cuffed wrists against the wall, ignoring the shavings of plexiglass she tore off with each strike. It didn't matter. The XXL t-shirt rode up as she raised her wrists, exposing God-knows-what to the men in the room. It didn't matter.

Opie mattered.

He was shoved into the makeshift arena, armed with a lead pipe and nothing more. Four massive men entered the decrepit group shower room with him. Judging by their skin, these were more of Damon Pope's men. And they were pissed.

A guard confirmed exactly what she was thinking, and the tears spilled over.

"He fights until he loses." The head guard looked excited for the slaughter. She couldn't look away from Opie, whose nose was bloody and eyes were flooded with unshed tears. He looked to Jax.

"Take care of her, brother. I got this."

Ope took off his shirt and braced himself.

The whole fight lasted around two minutes. Jax didn't stop pounding on the glass wall for the entire thing. Chibs screamed profanity at the guards, at Opie, at the fighters. Tig turned away the second the fight began, and didn't turn back until Charlie's voice cracked.

Opie was brought to his knees by one cheap shot. As the men approached him from behind, one wielding the now bloody pipe, Charlie let out a whimper of defeat.

"Please, tag me in. You would rather see me fight. I'm much more entertaining. Do you know the bets people would place to see me fight four men four times my size? I can win, I know I can. Please. Let him go. Please."

She smiled as perfectly as she could in that moment, lip bloody and face bruising. The head-guard told her to shut up, and another grabbed her chin and forced her to watch.

Opie half-smiled to her, the left side of his face caved in and bloody. He reached out a shaky hand to Jax, who inhaled shakily and hit the glass one last time. Charlie grabbed his hand with her bloody fingers and exhaled slowly, hoping it would soothe him. It didn't.

It took one blow to the back of his head, and her brother was out. Jax turned to face her immediately, unable to watch for any longer. Charlie could feel his gaze on the side of her head, staring angrily.

Chibs continued screaming from behind her.

Charlie watched as the massive man ensured his job was well done. She flinched with each excessive blow until her eyes stung and her breathing calmed.

When it was over she turned to face Jax, whose blue eyes drowned in tears, but remained somehow emotionless. Something within Jax Teller had broken. Charlie brought her hands to Jax's cheek, lightly thumbing one and watching his reaction.

Nothing, not even a flicker of emotion.

Rage quickly replaced Charlie's momentary sorrow.

Charlie closed her eyes and rested her temple on the cool glass, entirely ignoring the blood her broken eyebrow had smeared there. The cold helped reign in her temper, only the slightest.

Jax was still staring when she opened her eyes. She spoke to the smirking head guard, the one who she vowed never to forget.

"Do you know SAMCRO? We aren't thugs. We aren't monsters. We're family. That's my family you just killed. My brother." Charlie paused, pulling in a shaky breathe. She waited for the "shut the fuck up" slap that never came. She pulled her bleeding forehead away from the glass and turned to the guard before her, with subtle venom in her voice.

"Do you know who I am? I'm Charlotte Winston. He- ," she paused to reign in her emotions, "he was my brother. Do you know what I do? I fix the wrongs. I handle loose-ends. I exact revenge. So tell me, sir. Do you have any family? Any childr-"

With that, a meaty fist knocked her unconscious.

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><p>AN: Anyone feel like they've read this before? You may have. I decided that I didn't like where I was going with Charlie and Jax's storyline and wanted to hasten it up a bit. So this is a rewrite and re-post, with some extra details and junk thrown in. Hope you enjoyed it and keep reading!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone, except Charlie and her plotline.

Hi fam, enjoy this one!

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><p>Charlie remained curled in a ball on her carpeted floor, ebbing in and out of consciousness every few hours. She didn't want to wake up, not after her world was just devastated.<p>

Opie was gone. And this time, he wasn't coming back.

**X**

Piney and her mother had her brother when they were older and decided to be done there. Five years later, and her mother gave birth to her "favorite little accident". Not really a term of endearment, but the behaviors of Mary Winston were never easy to explain.

For example: when Charlie was eleven, the Winston matriarch decided to leave behind her husband and daughter, take her sixteen-year old son, and flee Charming, California.

That was the first time Ope had left, the second being Chino. Those were the bad times.

Fast forward to Charlie's teenage years which centered around drugs, alcohol, and strange men. It didn't take much to excite the teenage girl back then - a fast car, a good high.

It's not like Piney had the best influence on her - he was hardly even a father figure at that point. Drunk 24/7 and lonely. Hookers frequented their house more than Charlie did.

She spiraled downward for awhile.

Cue Jackson Teller.

Nineteen and conveniently next-door, he was a welcome reprieve from Charlie's daily life. They'd grown up together, from toddlers to teens. Truth be told, Charlie had always had a small crush on her big brother's best friend - a small crush that eventually turned into a secret love. It wasn't a big deal, but it was the only unwavering thing in Charlie's life.

When Ope left, Charlie needed someone to fill the big brother / best friend void.

Oh no, Jackson Teller hadn't always been Charlie's best friend. No, not even close.

Charlie was fifteen when she got in her first fight. Working weekends as a live-in bartender / maid at the clubhouse had given her quite the reputation in high school. A reputation that Charlie never bothered denying or accepting. But being called a croweater was not something she took lightly. She'd met those women - served those women, cleaned up after those women.

Charlie was not one of those women.

She taught the girl a lesson that night, one she was sure she would never forget.

Jax watched from the sidelines for several minutes before intervening. He tossed teenage Charlie over his shoulder with ease and accepted the beating she pummeled into his back. Tara had just dumped him, after choosing college over Jax. So he was heartbroken, probably more than a little drunk, and unreasonably pissed off. Jax threw Charlie into his backseat and drove her home.

Charlie cried for hours that night, over her father's negligence, her mother's abandonment, and her brother's disappearance. Although he remained silent, Jax never left her side.

They'd been inseparable ever since.

**X**

"Charlie, hey. You gotta wake up, okay?"

Charlie officially woke up at the familiar voice whispering just above her. She peeked through one eye to see Jax standing over her, wearing the same blue flannel he'd been hauled off in. He looked like hell, with cuts and bruises marring his face and bags under his eyes.

Her brothers must have been released already - at what felt like the crack of dawn.

Charlie could hear the bath running in the other room.

"Can you sit up?" Jax whispered as quietly as his gruff voice would let him.

"Jax..." Charlie murmured, her voice cracking harshly. Pure emotion overwhelmed her almost immediately. She sat up as best she could without being entirely overcome with pain. One arm slid behind her back and another wrapped around her legs, before the ground beneath her disappeared. Charlie brought her hand to Jax's chest and gripped tight, the pain radiating up her side forcing a hiss from her lips.

The sound of the running water was getting closer every second.

Jax let her down on the cool, tile floor with a surprising gentleness. Charlie allowed herself a half second glimpse at her reflection in the mirror, immediately regretting the idea. Her face was caked in dried blood, which had dripped onto her t-shirt and left a gory mess. Her full bottom lip was split and angrily swollen. Bloody, blonde hair had dried to her broken eyebrow and a blood vessel had burst in her eye. She looked away before tears could spill.

Jax motioned for her to lift her arms, a request that couldn't be fulfilled. The pain in her side was too much. Charlie brought her fingertips to the edge of the t-shirt and lifted upwards as far as she could, before Jax awkwardly tore the shirt from her shoulders.

Charlie had been naked around him before - she had very few inhibitions when she was drinking. And they'd been drunk together often. There were more than a few nights where driving home was no longer an option for the two of them, so they shared the clubhouse apartment's bed. It was never sexual, although those nights always set Charlie's heart to flame.

But this time was different. This time, he stared. Without shame.

Charlie nearly called him on it before she followed his gaze to her side.

A constellation of purple and blue rib-shaped bruises stained the entire length of her side, stopping just above her hipbone. The bruises bled onto her back, providing quite the background for the familiar Reaper tattoo at its center. The guard's work-boot had really done some damage.

Charlie watched as Jax slowly inched closer, bending slightly to get a closer view.

"Jesus Christ.. How?"

She felt frozen in place, only flinching slightly when his warm fingertips gently swiped across the darkest bruise. Charlie finally found her voice after a silent moment.

"Cheap shot. I was blindfolded."

Another moment passed before Charlie began feeling self-conscious under his gaze. She cleared her throat before speaking.

"A hand?"

Jax brought his gaze back up to her eyes, not hiding his fury at her condition. He extended an arm to help guide her into the steaming water, before shutting off the faucet and leaning against the counter. Silence lingered between them as Charlie tried to gently scrub the blood from her face.

When she was satisfied, Charlie leaned back in the deep tub and allowed the hot water to melt into her aching muscles. A pleasured groan escaped her lips.

Content silence fell over them, before Jax had to ruin it.

"I want you as my VP."

He pulled the patch from his back pocket and left it on the tub's ledge. Jax had never been one to dance around a subject.

Pain flickered across her already broken heart. That patch was meant for Opie.

"I don't want it. Ask someone else." Charlie felt the fight coming on before it began. She sat up to exit the bathroom, but the pain in her side left her unable. She waited, pathetically, in the tub until he offered to help her.

"You'll accept it."

"I don't know what kind of ego trip you've been on lately, but you won't pull that shit with me. You know better," she breathed for a minute, collecting herself as quickly as she could. "He was my brother.. My real brother. My only family."

The next words to leave Jax's lips sent Charlie right over the edge.

"Ope would have wanted you next to me."

That was it. Charlie was done. She stood from the tub, praying he couldn't see the pain on her face. Her eyes watered from both pain and fury.

The water clinging to her body cooled instantly, sending goosebumps across her skin. Her breasts tingled and puckered, drawing his attention to them for only a second. Charlie snapped.

"Jackson Teller, my dead brother is not a card for you to play. He didn't save your ass - no - he wasn't beaten to death for you to manipulate me!"

Jax's tough exterior softened immediately, a look of sympathy taking its place. He could never argue with Charlie for too long, she was too smart and too stubborn. He ran a hand over his hair while shaking his head.

"I need you as VP - someone I trust. This club.. it's falling apart. You, Charlie. I need you."

His tone softened her, but Charlie remained upset. Jax had yet to make eye-contact with her, out of guilt or desperation.

Charlie wrapped the towel around her chest tightly, tucking the corner piece in angrily. The wet tips of her hair dripped with icy water as she nodded toward the patch.

"That patch was never meant to be mine."

She went to grab the doorknob, before a gentle, callused hand grabbed her arm and held her in place. Charlie rounded on Jax, only to see desperately pleading eyes.

"Please."

**X**

Jax looked to the empty seat next to him, before looking at Charlie sitting to its right. She rolled her lips into her mouth, inhaling deeply before speaking.

"He went out a warrior."

Everyone at the table nodded sympathetically. They politely remained silent.

"Aye, we wouldn't be sitting here if it wasn't for him." Chibs ran a gloved hand through his hair. Everyone nodded silently again.

Different versions of the events were still floating around, almost none of which included Charlie's presence at the prison that night. She'd asked them to keep it that way, hoping to avoid the sympathetic glances that would surely come.

The table sat in silence for a few minutes, in memory of their lost brother. A wheezing voice spoke up from the opposite end of the table.

"No doubt, Ope made his own choice. It's Pope forcing that choice concerns me."

If her actions weren't being heavily watched by everyone in the chapel, Charlie would have rolled her eyes at the weakened, old man. Clay Morrow's grip on the club was rapidly slipping, so he added any commentary that he could to stay relevant. He'd developed a habit of pointing out the obvious.

"Jax did all he could. All he could to push back the threat." Tig's raspy voice argued. Tension radiated off the man, a sense of guilt obviously tormenting him. Charlie didn't blame Tig for any of it, she couldn't. Her own thirst for revenge was constantly burning at the back of her mind.

The bulky, mustached man argued back, a little more dramatically than Charlie would have imagined. She hadn't learned his name yet, and she wouldn't - not until the nomads earned their keep just as she had.

"By agreeing to a 50G payout?"

It had taken a lot of alcohol and persuading on Jax's part to get them to agree on this. Complying with Pope's wishes had provided a lot of tension between the two of them. She'd screamed, he tried to calm her, she called him a pussy. It eventually ended with Jax asking her to trust him, unconditionally, and asking her to vote yes on any motions he brought to the table.

Charlie agreed, on the condition that she could personally kill Pope when the time came. It was a deal.

So, for the time being, Charlie was responsible for defending any and everything that Jax said.

She spoke with terse, venomous words.

"It's short term only."

"How short?"

Charlie raised her eyebrow at the wiry, little man who had spoken. She couldn't even try to guess his name.

"We've never rubbed up against a guy like Pope. An OG sitting at a table with judges, senators, CEOs."

"He could kill us with a phone call, as easily as a bullet. We're just white smoke to this dude." Bobby sat off to the side a bit, next to Juice and slightly behind the new bulky guy . It was the first thing she'd heard him say in awhile.

"I say we agree to his terms, see where it goes. Maybe we can even use this guy to our advantage." Jax sat back in his chair a bit, and pulled his hands into his lap. He had said his piece and was waiting for a club response. Charlie sat forward and placed her hands on the table.

"Agreed." Jax turned slightly in his chair to look at her, a knowing look and pride in his eyes.

Clay's gravelly voice came from the other side of the table. The reminder of his presence instantly infuriated Charlie.

"What advantage is that?"

Charlie let her rage bubble for only a moment, before it boiled over on its own. She snapped her head to look at the weakened ex-president and squinted judgmentally. Jax inhaled sharply and sat forward again, preparing to listen to her bitter words. He was probably happy they weren't directed at him for once.

"We've got a bit of a public image issue at the moment, in case it slipped your mind. People's homes are being broken into, they're are scared, and they think we're to blame. Damon Pope can put funding into Charming that we've never had before, funding that we will be directly responsible for bringing in. We let the word get out that Pope is our connection, and these home invasions fall on the shoulders of someone else."

Clay smirked at her from across the table. He always loved riling her up, ever since she was a kid.

It had worked - Charlie was silently fuming.

Happy spoke, without looking up from his rough hands on the table.

"What about the tar stains that killed Ope?" The room stayed silent for longer than usual, everyone allowing Charlie time to speak if she wanted. Even Jax remained silent, until it became too much for him.

"No retaliation. Not now. It puts us and Charming at risk."

Charlie inhaled to speak her agreement, but Clay interrupted.

"We're already at risk. Those home invasions you're talking about, that's got to be black."

"Pope didn't put them in play. He wasn't sure about the Niners. He's looking into it."

Charlie shot him a surprised look, before reining it back in. She didn't know Jax had been keeping that close of contact with her brother's murderer.

"We're throwing Pope a lot of trust." Some dude sitting against the wall mentioned. He had a point, maybe there was hope for this one.

Charlie remained silent, sensing the tension mounting in Jax. They had developed a way of silently reading each other over the years, one that had both benefited and cursed them. She knew he was on the verge of snapping.

Jax brought a fist down on the table before shouting.

"It ain't trust, man. It's fear! Right now, he controls it. We gotta buy time to change that." Charlie nodded dramatically, drawing Jax's attention away from the stranger. She clapped her hands and rubbed them together eagerly, ready to end the meeting.

"Let's vote this."

Jax smirked at her, already knowing her response.

"Okay, a vote. We pay out the 50G until we figure this shit out... Yea."

Everyone at the table agreed - something Charlie didn't expect to see. Jax clearly hadn't either. The tension in the room faded as each person nodded their answer.

The gavel landed with a satisfying crack, effectively ending the meeting and sealing Damon Pope's fate.

"We gotta talk about something else.. Charlie for VP."

A moment of silence lingered before the older members of the club began pounding on the table. Chibs shouted an strongly-accented "aye" before pulling her head to his mouth and placing a firm kiss on her cheek. She smiled a small grin and stood from the table, moving to the seat directly next to Jax. The one meant to be occupied by her brother.

"Yeah yeah, okay, punk," Charlie shoved Jax's shoulder playfully, "No need to applaud."

With that, a single, loud clap filled the air - followed by several drawn-out, slow claps. The wheezing man stood from his spot at the end of the table and headed towards her.

"Congrats, kid. You made it. Let's see how long it lasts." The comment felt more like a warning than a congratulations. He continued approaching her slowly, until he was able to clap her on the back with a massive palm. Charlie winced at the force.

The silence that followed was unbearably tense. He spoke again.

"The body should be here this afternoon."

With that, Clay Morrow got the last word.

* * *

><p>How was it, fam? Review!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or setting, except for Charlie.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Charlie was sitting at the clubhouse bar, alone, sucking down tequila shots like water. Charlie hadn't spoken to anyone, not even her brothers. It wasn't that people hadn't tried. They had, one after the other. They'd all kept it short. She probably wasn't wearing the most inviting look, in everyone else's defense. A scabbed lip and matching eyebrow, black skinny jeans and matching boots, a drink in her hand and a scowl on her face.<p>

She heard his heavy steps approaching from behind her. Jax leaned over and tossed back the rest of her drink with ease. Charlie scoffed as he swallowed the liquid.

"Church."

She couldn't imagine why he'd want to hold a meeting during his best friend's funeral.

"Now's not the time." Jax shot her an authoritative look, which Charlie promptly returned with defiance. She then leaned over the bar to grab the bottle she'd been nursing and poured herself another drink. She tossed it back immediately.

He helped her off the barstool and escorted her to the chapel. He opened the door to the noticeably empty room.

"Church without the congregation. What's going on, Jax?"

He waited until they were both in the room before closing the door behind him. The combined sounds of music and crying ceased the moment the door closed.

Jax stood over the president's chair without sitting. He gripped the chair with a tight grasp. There was tension in the air.

"I gotta big favor to ask. You're gonna be mad."

Charlie felt the dread growing in her throat. She waited for him to speak again.

"We gotta blackmail someone.. with some pictures.

Charlie knew what he meant, and immediately began shaking her head.

"No."

"I'm asking as politely as I can here," he laughed as he said it, smiling with mischief in his eyes.

Jax wasn't stupid - he knew she would never say yes to such a ridiculous request. Anything to get under her skin, she guessed.

"No one has to know it's you. We can get you a ski-mask or something. Juice can shop out the tats. Everyone else is on-board."

Her annoyance turned to anger in a heartbeat. Charlie moved towards him with a finger pointed to his face.

"A ski-mask is all you're gonna let me wear, Jackson Teller! It's never gonna happen. No."

"You could wear some of that frilly shit I know you have laying around."

Charlie would not even dignify that with a verbal response, just a venomous look. He laughed at her anger.

"I'm just saying, I think you'd be great for the job."

Charlie raised an eyebrow at Jax while smirking, her eyes intentionally and obviously roaming over his body. His smile faded into confusion.

"Why don't you do it?"

His face hardened, suddenly, in the way it always did when he wasn't getting his way.

Charlie laughed so hard she thought she was dying.

"Not funny."

"I think you'd be great for the job." She imitated him with a dramatically deep voice. He gave her the same silent-treatment she'd just given him, forcing her to talk again.

"Why don't you just have Nero send someone over?"

"I was thinking about it, but with him and Gemma.. should I really be asking favors?"

It was one of the few times Jax had actually asked for her advice, instead of just forcing her to comply with whatever decision he'd already made. It was still weird. She contemplated it for a second before answering.

"I think in terms of prostitutes and blackmail, he's got the best you're gonna get."

"I've still got you." He smiled in the way that persuaded other women into doing anything for him. It had taken just one month for her to get sick of the blue-eyed, dimpled smile that he gave women. Now, his charming little grin just annoyed her.

"Can I come to the shoot?"

"If you bring the frilly shit."

A knock at the chapel's door just barely saved Jackson Teller from receiving the smack of a lifetime. Bobby entered without a response from either of them.

"Lyla's here."

Charlie had grown to love and appreciate Lyla and everything she had done for the kids, even if she was in a questionable line of business. Charlie couldn't talk, really, she threatened and killed people for a living.

Jax wrapped a hand around her wrist without speaking, simply nodding once. He was silently checking that Charlie was still emotionally stable. She remained silent, before slipping his grip from her wrist and leaving the room.

Charlie practically ran to her sister then, who began sobbing against her shoulder as soon as they collided. They stayed like that for awhile, hugging in the garage's sunny parking lot. People had begun to stare, but it was no matter. Charlie held her sister until she was able to speak coherently once again.

"Will you take me to see him?"

Charlie felt nauseous at the thought. Gemma had offered to take her, as had Tig and Chibs. She'd politely declined, hoping they would eventually understand. She wouldn't see him. Couldn't. Jax slowly approached them from behind, extending his hand to Lyla.

"I'll take you, darlin."

As always, Charlie's annoyance at her best friend dissipated the moment after its arrival. It wasn't the smile or the eyes, or any of the other ridiculous things that charmed women. She rolled her eyes at those things. No. It was just him, as a person. His presence calmed her.

She hugged Lyla once more, ignoring the pain in her side and the ache in her heart. She kissed her sister's cheek before letting go, and allowed Jax to take over from there.

Charlie let the warm sun wash over her for a minute, hoping her despair would wash away with it. Her relaxing moment was interrupted by a woman's thick voice from the garage.

"You think I could go say bye?"

Wendy Case was a problem. She had come into Jax's life during his teenage downward spiral, starting as a cracked-out croweater and working her way up to a much-hated old lady. Wendy was jealous, petty, and manipulative. She had nearly driven Jax and Charlie entirely apart at one time, which was a feat previously thought impossible. Charlie would never have mentioned anything to Jax though, not while they were semi-happy.

And then Abel happened.

Sweet, sweet Abel. The child of Jax's dreams - and a last-ditch effort to save his marriage. Wendy fucked that up too, horribly. No one deserved what Jax had to go through when Abel was born. No one deserved the verbal abuse Charlie had unleashed on the hospital staff who tried to remove her from NICU - save for Tara, who apparently knew better than to try.

All that can be summarized by saying that there was tension between the two women.

An unexpected, and entirely irrational wave of anger washed over her, one that had her storming towards Gemma and Wendy from across the parking lot. Gemma noticed her coming and stepped backwards with a smirk.

"I think it would be best if you left." The other blonde wildly flipped her hair over her shoulder to face Charlie, who rolled her eyes at the dramatics. Wendy scrutinized Charlie with squinting eyes.

"I loved Ope just as much as anyone else."

The ridiculous comment had Charlie stepping forward to fully face the woman before her. She loomed a good three inches over Wendy, even without the combat boots she was wearing.

Charlie lowered her voice significantly.

"You never loved Opie and he certainly never loved you. I won't let you use my brother to manipulate Jax."

Wendy threw her hands into the air in an attempt to maintain peace. The action caught Charlie off-guard.

"Okay Charlie, I'm sorry for your loss. I'll go."

She watched as Wendy stormed to her car at a less-than-casual pace.

"She's lost some fight through the years, huh?"

Gemma snorted at the younger girl's comment.

"You've got more power over my son than that bitch ever could. She's afraid of you."

"Should be." The two of them laughed, as Tara exited her car and glared after Jax's ex.

**X**

The scene inside the bar was nauseating.

Whoever had organized the wake had done a beautiful job, but Charlie was nauseous.

The black, studded coffin was open in the middle of the room, Opie's body inside. No one could gauge the real amount of damage the prisoners had done, make-up somehow hid everything. The stereo was blaring some old Bruce Springsteen song. It fit perfectly for the occasion. Candles were scattered about the bar to avoid using the harsh fluorescent lights.

The room was overcrowded, hot.

Gemma's claw-like hand held Charlie's tightly, while the other gently rubbed her forearm. It was simply a vain attempt to comfort her. The motion only left Charlie's skin uncomfortably warm and clammy.

Lyla stood further down the line of close family, sobbing loudly. The kids stood in front of their step-mother awkwardly, Ellie crying silently and Kenny standing uncomfortably. Charlie's heart broke for her niece and nephew.

As the wake slowly drew to a close, people one-by-one began offering their condolences to the family. Men would heavily pat her shoulder or mumble an apology. Sometimes both. The women barely acknowledged her at all, and if they did, it was usually a teary, pitiful glance.

Charlie hated every moment of it, but wouldn't say anything for everyone else's sake.

When it all became too much, Charlie pried Gemma's clammy hand off her arm and headed for the fresh air. She earned herself a multitude of concerned glances along the way.

Charlie wished her roaming was aimless, but she knew exactly where she would end up. It was their hideaway, their safe-place. The cold air was just what she needed right now.

Jax was on the roof, alone and smoking, just as Charlie knew she would find him. Before even saying a word, she put her hands on the guardrail and peered over, trying to hold back her angry, drunken tears. Charlie sniffled once, allowing herself to crumble if only for a few seconds.

"Jax, I'm gonna kill Damon." She violently swiped the tears off her cheeks, ignoring the oily mascara she knew she would smudge.

"I won't stop you." His words sent a chill down her spine and put a smile on her face.

The clubhouse's double doors swung open below them and music drifted through the air. The brothers soon came out, carrying the black coffin on their shoulders. Jax stood from his perch on the exposed pipe to stand next to her. He nudged her shoulder with his own and passed the joint.

Clay Morrow walked in the front of the group, and watched as they slid her brother's body into the back of the hearse. Charlie slipped her arms around Jax's waist and leaned her body against his. Tears flowed freely from her eyes as Clay slammed the hearse's door shut.

It was the last she would ever see of her brother.

As the hearse drove through the chain-link gate, Jax brought Charlie in for a nearly unbearable hug. She tried to ignore the sobs wracking her best friend's chest. It was impossible to tell how long they stood that way, but neither minded.

Jax loosened his hold on her and kissed the top of her head. He spoke quietly.

"I have a present for you."

Charlie looked up, resting her chin against his chest. She felt Jax playfully tugging on the tips of her hair. He smiled genuinely.

"You'll see."

Something about his tone told Charlie that the present would be very special.

* * *

><p>How'd you like it, fam?!<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or settings, except for Charlie.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Make sure to get the nipple ring."<p>

Nero had sent someone over, alright. The perfect someone. And she was straddling the naked man, wearing only assless chaps and a leather halter top. Her tits were pushed up to her ears and she wielded a riding crop.

The perfect someone.

Her name was Venus Van Dam, and she was rapidly becoming Charlie's favorite person. Venus radiated confidence that Charlie could only dream of and her chest was even dreamier. She was enchanting.

"Are you sure you can get rid of that tape?" Bobby was seated in a cheap, plastic chair, his head resting against the wall. He was actively avoiding watching the scene before him.

"That's Photoshop 101." Juice pulled the camera away from his face and reviewed the most recent picture. He nodded, obviously confused on what he was supposed to think.

Venus let out a wild shout, and rotated her body so her ass faced the boys. Both Happy and Chibs cringed. Charlie considered applauding.

"Software I got? I can make this guy shit unicorns." Juice smiled proudly.

Venus snapped her head to the side, shouting angrily in a surprisingly masculine, Southern voice.

"There will be no shitting anything while I am this close to that giant ass crack."

Charlie was barely holding herself together, watching what was unfolding in the tiny real-estate office. Her brothers were so uncomfortable with Venus' presence and Charlie was basking in the tension. Today could not be going better.

"Hey, uh, are you expecting somebody else?"

Charlie looked to Jax hopefully. He shook his head - no, they weren't expecting another Venus to walk in.

Chucky backed away from the door just as the kid walked in. He was scrawny little thing, wearing a yellowed t-shirt that was likely once white. He had limp brown hair and reeked of cheap cologne. He couldn't have been more than 20.

Happy grabbed him by the neck and, with a swift kick, brought him to his knees. Things like that were easy for Hap.

"Oh, shit. Oh, my god," he laughed nervously, "What are you doing to Allen?"

The room remained silent for a beat too long, before the clever Venus stood from her balance on Allen and chimed in.

"Charming Community Theater, baby."

How that rickety, wooden table was supporting their combined weight was unfathomable. Tig extended his hand to help Venus down, staring at her exposed ass the entire time. The boy was also unable to take his eyes off Venus, but with a look of disgust on his face. Charlie hated judgmental people.

"Yeah, right.. Hey, I know who you guys are. Sons.. Yeah what'd you do? Drug him or something?" the boy noticed Juice standing awkwardly with the camera, "Damn, you dudes are totally blackmailing him!"

"What are we doing about this, Jackie?" Chibs took a few steps toward the kid, whose laughing demeanor crumbled instantly. He looked truly scared shitless for a hot second there. Charlie rolled her eyes.

"Get - Jesus - stand up, kid. Who are you?"

He laughed nervously - a pathetic little sound that was rapidly beginning to annoy her. He stood at a good six inches shorter than her, putting him at nearly eye-level with her chest.

"Devin Price, his stepson," several brothers groaned loudly. "Nah, guys, it's cool. We can work something out."

The kid smiled oddly, excitedly. Jax noticed and nodded at him.

"Work something out how?"

"What about the girl?"

He didn't even acknowledge her when he asked, just sort of nodded in her direction. Her annoyance peaked, turning into rage before she could stop it. Charlie stepped forward, ready to punch the little punk. Jax threw an arm in front of her to rein her in. She pointed a finger at him and squinted.

"Did you want to die today? Snap of my fucking fingers, kid."

Jax chuckled next to her, only serving to aggravate her more. Charlie grabbed his barricading arm and lowered it in a less than polite way, crossing her own arms on her chest after.

Devin Price was a smart kid though, considering he shut right up. He whipped his phone out instead and rapidly snapped some pictures of the naked man on the table. Happy grabbed it from him violently and handed it over to Jax. The kid shouted loudly.

"Yo, I just want to use this shit against him, too."

No one could really argue that blackmail was effective, but this kid was a loose-end. Jax wasn't stupid - he realized it too.

"I'm guessing you two aren't very close."

The kid shook his head quickly, limp hair flying in every direction.

"Nah, he's a total dick, man."

Venus approached the kid - slowly at first, but with more confidence as she moved.

"How.." she sighed, "how old are you, sugar?"

He laughed nervously, backing away from the approaching 6'4" giant. The noise pissed Charlie off. Kid spoke shakily.

"Twenty-one."

Venus shook her head slowly and smiled. She very obviously scanned from his feet to his face, pausing only to tuck a stray piece of hair behind the kid's ear. He remained tense when Venus left her heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Mmhmm, I do like 'em young and sweet."

Devin Price was now fully disgusted, if he wasn't already. Not even laughing nervously anymore, just a confused, concerned look on his face. Venus looked like she was ready to eat the boy alive.

"Shit, dude, you're like a dude."

"Why didn't your daddy ever tell you never judge a book by its penis? Now have you..." she slid her hand from his shoulder to the front of his jeans. The kid tensed even more. "Have you ever had your dick sucked by a Southern girl with a huge cock? Oh, baby, you are in for a treat."

Venus began thrusting her hips against the boy's jeans, making wet kissing noises. Tig was staring intensely.

"Doesn't mean you're gay, bro. We all been there." Jax motioned to everyone in the room with one hand, his other on his chest.

"What, really?"

All her brothers contributed some lewd, confirming comment - her personal favorite being Juice's "slamming cock". Charlie could barely stifle her laugh.

The kid looked relieved, although still skeptical.

"Even the girl?"

"Oh god yes. Especially me," she nodded with a tight-lipped smile and raised eyebrows, "Love that.. love that cock."

Charlie ran a hand through her hair, trying to calm the temper bubbling inside her. Being referred as "the girl" was something that Charlie had heard often, but refused to become accustomed to. Considering their situation, this little punk was just lucky she hadn't corrected him yet.

Devin laughed uncertainly, before kinda shrugging awkwardly.

"Well fuck.. Okay!"

Venus took control from there, relinquishing her grip on his crotch and backing off a few steps.

"Pants off, wrap this around your eyes. I like the element of surprise. Back there."

Venus unwrapped the silky scarf from her neck and handed it to the boy. He smiled enthusiastically.

"Hell yeah, okay. This is awesome!"

Devin stumbled to where Venus was pointing. Jax shouted after him.

"You are in for a treat, my boy."

After conning another two grand and a smile out of Jax, Venus followed the young man to the backroom for some privacy. Jax turned his attention to Charlie.

"You're up."

Her smile fell right off her face.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Look, we only got like half an hour left with Shamu and Venus is occupied. Take one for the team."

Jax winked at her, smiling that cheesy smile. She didn't bother hiding her disgust at the idea of straddling the pasty white man. Charlie was pissed.

"Sometimes I think you all forget I carry a gun."

"Charlie. Come on."

She held a defiant stare-down with the president, until the naked man on the table snored quietly.

"We ain't got all day, babe."

Charlie held his gaze for a second more, before he cracked a smile and she rolled her eyes.

"Christ, I hate my life." She shimmied out of the kutte and threw it at him. He mouthed a thank you at her. She shot him a final dirty look before pulling the raglan tee over her head, kicking off her boots and unbuttoning her jeans. Wiggling out of her jeans, Charlie became very aware of everyone's gaze.

They had all seen her naked before, of that much she was sure. But now, standing in only a black lace bra and panty set, she never felt more exposed.

"I will never forgive you for this."

Jax nodded, without saying anything. He didn't even look at her.

Charlie climbed onto the wooden table, listening to it strain under their combined weight. Straddling the man's waist proved quite the task, but it was manageable. Once there - Charlie shrugged.

"Now what?"

Juice shrugged right back, his mouth open and eyes avoiding contact. This was getting old.

"I don't know. Just... do something."

Charlie grabbed the riding crop Venus had left behind and posed awkwardly for the camera. Juice snapped the photo and reviewed it on the tiny screen. He chuckled, forcing her to swing at him with the riding crop.

"Don't be an ass."

Juice's laugh faded as he shook his head. He reviewed the picture again, and smiled genuinely.

"No, you look ... You look good."

He turned the camera to face her, allowing her to review the picture on the tiny screen. Charlie wasn't a particularly conceited person, but she had to agree. Given the setting, she looked better than expected.

The confidence boost had quite the effect on Charlie's picture-taking after that. Charlie re-situated herself in the bra, sliding the cups down and pulling her breasts up. They looked three times bigger this way, although she felt like she was spilling out of the lacy bra.

Charlie placed her hands against the man's chest and raised herself slowly, leaving one hand on his chest for balance and moved the other to her right breast. She arched her back and flipped her hair over one shoulder.

She exhaled slowly to calm her nervousness and looked at Juice to find him staring.

"Take the picture, asshole."

Charlie heard the camera click three times before the voice behind her chimed in.

"Oh baby, you are doing great." She turned from her perch upon the unconscious man to see Venus applauding her dramatically. Charlie bent forward and wiggled her butt a little extra, earning herself another cheer from the woman. This was starting to get fun.

"That's a wrap."

Charlie moved her hand from her breast to the man's chest, and turned to pout at Jax. He was already extending a hand to help her down from the table. The president had remained notably silent throughout the whole process, looking even angry at times. Charlie was up there because he asked, so she was not accepting any blame for his suddenly pissy mood.

"You owe me big. Like 'clean my house naked' big, Jackson." Charlie punched his chest once she had climbed down. Jax raised the kutte and slipped it over her shoulders. He whispered from just behind her neck.

"Count on it, babe."

Charlie flipped her hair over the opposite shoulder and squinted at him, a smirk on her lips.

"Oh really?" she raised an eyebrow, "And I am not your babe, babe."

Charlie nudged him with her shoulder, but Jax captured her and held her against his side. He slung an arm over her shoulder, trapping her under the weight.

"Yeah yeah, alright, let's get Orca back into insurance mode."

They watched as the men struggled to lift the naked man from the table and into the office chair, chuckling the whole time. Venus and the kid approached them, her arm slung over his shoulder too. Charlie playfully punched Devin's shoulder.

"Soo.. how was it?"

The kid nodded slowly and smiled lazily. His shaggy hair was messier than before and his clothes were slightly disheveled.

"It was.. intense."

Venus handed Jax a cellphone, lewd pictures glowing on the screen. Charlie leaned further into his side to see them better. Oh yeah, those would do.

"So here's what happens now. You go home, and tell no one about this."

"Never, man."

The kid shook his head slowly, a proud look on his face. Jax continued.

"'Cause if you do, your stepdad isn't gonna be the only one with a new photo album. Check it out."

Jax held the phone up to the kid's face, allowing him to see the photos of himself getting head from an obviously trans person. Devin Price was horrified.

Charlie took the phone from Jax and flipped through them a second time. There were around 15, how Venus had managed without him knowing was a mystery. Maybe she was just that good.

"Oh wow, man. Well done, Venus." Charlie looked up from the screen to catch Venus winking at her. She began applying a very thick layer of lip gloss to her mouth.

"Dude, really?"

"Love is a fickle beast." Venus rubbed her lips together and made a popping sound when she was done. She smiled at the group, winking only at the boy.

"So you understand then?"

"Yeah, no, man. But I would never rat on the club, man. I think the MC's awesome."

Charlie let out a single laugh, loudly.

"Yeah, we are."

"No, I mean seriously. I'd like to, like, hang out with you guys sometime."

"Why not, babe? It sounds like a great idea." Charlie hit her fist against Jax's chest. His laughter rang through his body, shaking hers as well.

"Aye, absolutely. Come by the clubhouse Saturday morning. You can clean the cum and the puke off the bathroom floor."

Everyone was laughing now, even the kid. Chibs was serious though - the club was a shithole after a good Friday night. Hookers frequented the bar often, but weekends were special. Charlie and Jax nearly always found themselves sharing the apartment bed after those nights. Platonic, of course.

"Alright, get out of here. Tell no one."

The kid was still chuckling as Happy nearly threw him out the door. Jax turned back to Venus, nodding slowly and smiling.

"Thank you, darlin'."

Venus smiled at the two of them.

"Ah young love birds, whenever ya'll need a little Venus love, give me a call. I'm the belle who does not tell."

Venus grabbed Jax's face and kissed him hard, leaving her freshly applied, sticky lip gloss smeared across his mouth. Charlie's mouth was agape, unable to produce noise with how astounded she was. Venus leaned down, kissing either side of her own face. Tig was frowning, jealousy burning in his eyes.

"It's been a pleasure, everyone. Bye, tiger," she winked at the lovestruck man before caressing his ass and exiting the building. Charlie exploded the second the door closed, laughing for a solid minute before Jax shoved her away with an elbow.

"Yeah, alright. Let's get him to the desk."

X

Charlie had been tasked with the job of applying pressure to Tig's ass while they hightailed it to the clubhouse. The "rag" soaking up Tig's blood? Her only shirt. Her jeans? Nowhere to be found. That was how things were going for Charlie - wearing only a bra and her kutte, with a middle-aged, half-naked man strewn across her lap like a child ready for spanking. Tig held a joint in hand and a grimace on his face.

He was only staring out the blinds as Venus left, when Allan Price woke up and latched on to Tig's ass with a vicious, animalistic bite. It took a pistol whip to the face for Allan to fall back unconscious. And now they were speeding, frantically speeding, to get to the clubhouse for Tara to stitch up his ass. For the second time.

"If only I didn't have such a nice ass.." He took another hit, pulling the smoke in deep before exhaling. Charlie laughed.

"It's a real treat, being this close to God's gift to the world."

"Your hard-on is digging into my hip, Charlie. Control yourself."

"I'm trying my hardest." She playfully pinched his other ass cheek. Tig growled and clicked his teeth, but she couldn't really gauge his seriousness. With Tig, you never know. He passed her the joint, generously allowing her the final puff. Charlie tossed the stub out the car window and pulled another from the pack stuffed in the passenger seat pocket.

"What about Venus? You two hit it off."

"You mean future Mrs. Me?"

Chibs laughed from the driver's seat, shooting her a smile in the rear-view mirror.

"I mean it. I'm in love."

Charlie gasped, feigning jealousy and shock. She leaned sideways, forcing him to make eye-contact with her.

"Tig. You and me? We are through if you leave me for another woman."

"I'm sorry, honey. I got to."

Charlie pouted her bottom lip out and leaned back to her original position. She let out a little whine.

"You're clearly in shock - probably rabid. And you're making me jealous."

Charlie popped the joint between her lips and flicked open the lighter, just as Chibs whipped into the garage's parking lot. The rapid shift sent the seatbelt-less Tig sailing from her lap into the center console. The flicked lighter fell from her fingers and onto her thighs just as her brother rebounded back into her lap. She began violently smacking his back, trying to roll him off the scalding metal blistering her thighs.

Jax opened the back door to find them that way - Tig's naked, bleeding ass facing him while Charlie beat the hell out of his back. He was shouting loudly and angrily, awkwardly swatting at her arms to make her stop.

"Jesus Christ, no one needs to see this."

"You think I like it? Get me the hell outta here!"

Happy and Chibs hoisted Tig off her lap and into the clubhouse. Jax extended a hand to pull her out of the back seat. Blood and small, angry burn marks marred her thighs.

"Come here, stupid." Jax blocked her between himself and the car door. None of the customers or mechanics could see her anymore - something that Charlie hadn't been concerned about anyway. He took off his shirt and handed it to her. It hung low and smelled like leather and diesel. She smiled.

"Thank you but we aren't even. You still owe me."

Charlie poked his chest with an index finger, before slipping the kutte back over her shoulders. Jax remained silent, but still grinned. They started walking towards the garage, ignoring the looks from everyone around.

"Hey I don't want to hurt your ego, but what happened with the Irish," she motioned towards the dried blood coating his left eyebrow - a bruise starting to form there. "Did you at least win?"

"Later, Charlie."

She grabbed his arm and stopped him from continuing into the building. People were starting to actively watch - something that was sure to piss Jax off. Charlie couldn't help it. If the Irish had messed with her family yet again, she needed to know about it.

Charlie had been there to pick up the pieces of Jax Teller the last time the Irish had gotten arrogant. She sat with him every day of Abel's disappearance, smoking and wallowing in self-loathing. At night, however, she questioned anyone who may have had information on the missing child. Questioned, and if proven disloyal to the cause, killed.

It was safe to say that, for Charlie, trusting any the Irish was entirely out the window.

"No! Now!"

"Chapel."

Jax noticed the people standing around, probably enjoying the half-naked girl screaming at the club president. He grabbed her arm and quickly moved inside, practically dragging her behind him. Everyone at the bar, including her brothers, watched as she was thrown into the room.

They entered to find Tig's bloody ass facing them again - Tara leaned over him with a hook needle and thread. Charlie's anger broke as she laughed, hard. Jax shouted in disgust.

"Jesus Christ, I've seen enough of your ass today!"

Charlie continued laughing, even as he dragged her out. Jax was grumpier than even a second before. He pushed her into the apartment and slammed the door behind them, getting in her face not a moment later.

"Would you quit challenging me in front of people?!"

His finger pointed in her face, anger on his. Jax kept approaching even as she backed away. The backs of her legs hit the bed soon enough. His little tirade was over now, she wouldn't tolerate another second of it. Charlie grabbed his face, squeezing his cheeks and effectively shutting him up.

"Oh you can knock that crap right off, Jackson Teller. Tell me. What happened?"

Jax sighed, running a hand across his hair. His ability to contest Charlie's stubbornness had been weakened with time and she couldn't be happier about it. She let go of his face and put her hands on her hips in a very "scolding mother" way.

"Galen and I brawled it out, then he tested the product. On the bikes. Don't worry about it."

"Don't be short."

He was always short when he was pissy.

"The history between him and Clay is too strong for new management. He's not being cooperative and the tension peaked."

"Then he blew the bikes?"

"And then he blew the bikes."

Charlie thought about everything for a second - a million things flying through her mind. Every thought led back to one thing. She should have been there to protect them, to fight Galen. She shook her head slowly, letting her hair fall into her face.

"Getting out of guns is for the best, Jax. Don't doubt it."

"We're getting there, slowly. I know. But it's not that easy. Setting up Galen with the cartel has been hard. There's no trust."

Jax ran a hand through his hair and sighed, obviously stressed about the situation. He looked to the floor and let out a deep breath. Charlie grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her. She kept a serious face on and maintained eye contact with him until she couldn't anymore. She smiled.

"Can I fight him next time, loser?"

Charlie playfully got in a fighting stance, punching his chest lightly. He grabbed her hands and held them above her head. He let them go as he pretend attacked her ribs, before poking the ticklish spot there. It was one of the things about her that only Jax knew.

"Okay," she giggled like a child, "Okay, okay, knock it off.. What are we doing then?"

She swatted at his attacking fingers until he stopped.

"Galen will have to trust the cartel with guns. I wish it wasn't with the cartel, but they need a higher caliber and that's the only way. We wait for the next meeting, and if the trust isn't better by then, then we call it a loss and sever ties."

Charlie almost hated asking, considering she was supposed to trust his every move implicitly. She just had to know.

"And Damon?"

"I'm taking care of Damon, one step at a time. We can't take him down swiftly. Trust me. You'll appreciate the turnout. All this will be worth something."

"It better be, punk. I'm not straddling fat dudes for nothing."

Charlie punched his shoulder a final time. They both smiled, but likely for entirely different reasons.

Something was to be done about Damon Pope soon enough.

* * *

><p>Did you like it? I loved writing this chapter!<p> 


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